Presentation Fever….
We’re going to keep this post short, sweet and to the point.
On page 26 of The Cognative Style of Powerpoint Edward Tufte is asked the following question.
“The problem is with presenters who misuse PowerPoint. PowerPoint is just a tool; why blame the software for bad presentations? When a Carpenter makes a crooked cut, do we blame the saw? Just because some people do silly things in PP doesn’t mean that PP has a problem; people do silly things in written reports also.”
Tufte’s response is perhaps the reasons why I love and hate PowerPoint. As a presentation tool, it gives individuals with no presentation skills something that will distract their audience from their horrible public speaking ability. Tufte states that yes, some responsibility does fall with the presenter, but that in fact as a tool, PowerPoint is set up a way that facilitates ‘bells n’ whistles’ over content.
In my few large classes in undergrad I attended lectures that were based on PowerPoint presentations produced by the textbook company. There was no reason to even go to the courses except for tests and quizzes and homework—in actuality, these courses gave me my initial nerve to (yes shockingly) skip class and make better use of my time…Even presentations when the content is almost entirely on the screen….slide after slide of words and more words its mind numbing, intellectually insulting and perhaps a bit ugly.
However, If done right (as Tufte mentions later on in page 26) a presentation can use PowerPoint to engage the audience with visuals, and low volume text as well as physical tactile handouts. Another compromise between the digital and the reality based world.
On a side note: I was rather shocked by the Columbia slide shows….those are presentations that seriously should not be given over a medium meant to summarize information. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was humorous—but allowed Tufte to make his point. PowerPoint should not be a replacement for good oratory and good communication skills.
As for the websites—I had to link everyone to this post from Presentation Zen. Yoda vs Darth Vader? Who would have thought!
Also barring any other tools to build my exhibition last summer in London, I used PowerPoint to design my exhibition. Not an ideal media for exhibition building, but without any other software at my fingertips it did its job nicely. (Here’s a screen captue of my exhibition in Powerpoint..).
